Fermented honey - Ask Extension
Can you safely ferment garlic in honey, there are numerous sources online raving about this. Peal raw garlic and fill with pure raw honey, ferments fo...
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Fermented honey #822983
Asked March 20, 2023, 10:47 PM EDT
Can you safely ferment garlic in honey, there are numerous sources online raving about this. Peal raw garlic and fill with pure raw honey, ferments for atleast a month with airlock and turning frequently. We have done numerous batches and consistently test ph between 3.6 and 4.1
Clackamas County Oregon
Expert Response
Hi Korina,
Thanks for the question. There is a lot of interest in fermenting garlic in honey; however, there are also significant food safety concerns about this process and a lot of unknowns.
Whenever we are doing a fermentation, we are creating an anaerobic environment (no oxygen) and this can create an opportunity for Clostridium botulinum spores that are present in the food to grow and produce botulism toxin. Botulism toxin is very toxic and causes a few deaths in Oregon each year. Therefore, we are very cautious about safe recommendations for fermented products and unfortunately, we don't have a lot of data to demonstrate what is consistently safe and what is not.
Garlic fermented in honey is one of those foods where we don't have data to support the safety of this process. Here are some reasons why we are concerned:
We are always extra concerned when honey is involved because honey commonly has C. botulinum spores in it. C. botulinum spores are also commonly found in soils in the northwest, so crops that have lots of contact with the soil (like garlic) are considered to be higher risk (even though you peel them).
C. botulism cannot grow in high acid environments (cannot grow in foods with a pH below 4.6); however, most fermentations start out at a higher pH and then drop as the lactic acid bacteria (and other "friendly" organisms) produce acid. The pH of garlic is well above 4.6. The pH of honey is very inconsistent (pH 4.0 to great than 6). The key to safe fermentations is for this acid drop to happen quickly (ideally in less than 24 hours).
Low water activity (available water) is another way to prevent C. botulism from growing. Honey has a very low water activity, but garlic has a very high water activity. This creates an interface between the garlic clove and the honey that is a perfect environment for C. botulism to grow.
Based on all of these concerns, I am not comfortable with the safety of garlic fermented in honey.
I hope this helps to answer your questions. Thanks for using Ask Extension. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Joy
Thanks for the question. There is a lot of interest in fermenting garlic in honey; however, there are also significant food safety concerns about this process and a lot of unknowns.
Whenever we are doing a fermentation, we are creating an anaerobic environment (no oxygen) and this can create an opportunity for Clostridium botulinum spores that are present in the food to grow and produce botulism toxin. Botulism toxin is very toxic and causes a few deaths in Oregon each year. Therefore, we are very cautious about safe recommendations for fermented products and unfortunately, we don't have a lot of data to demonstrate what is consistently safe and what is not.
Garlic fermented in honey is one of those foods where we don't have data to support the safety of this process. Here are some reasons why we are concerned:
We are always extra concerned when honey is involved because honey commonly has C. botulinum spores in it. C. botulinum spores are also commonly found in soils in the northwest, so crops that have lots of contact with the soil (like garlic) are considered to be higher risk (even though you peel them).
C. botulism cannot grow in high acid environments (cannot grow in foods with a pH below 4.6); however, most fermentations start out at a higher pH and then drop as the lactic acid bacteria (and other "friendly" organisms) produce acid. The pH of garlic is well above 4.6. The pH of honey is very inconsistent (pH 4.0 to great than 6). The key to safe fermentations is for this acid drop to happen quickly (ideally in less than 24 hours).
Low water activity (available water) is another way to prevent C. botulism from growing. Honey has a very low water activity, but garlic has a very high water activity. This creates an interface between the garlic clove and the honey that is a perfect environment for C. botulism to grow.
Based on all of these concerns, I am not comfortable with the safety of garlic fermented in honey.
I hope this helps to answer your questions. Thanks for using Ask Extension. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Joy
Hi Korina,
Thanks for the question. There is a lot of interest in fermenting garlic in honey; however, there are also significant food safety concerns about this process and a lot of unknowns.
Whenever we are doing a fermentation, we are creating an anaerobic environment (no oxygen) and this can create an opportunity for Clostridium botulinum spores that are present in the food to grow and produce botulism toxin. Botulism toxin is very toxic and causes a few deaths in Oregon each year. Therefore, we are very cautious about safe recommendations for fermented products and unfortunately, we don't have a lot of data to demonstrate what is consistently safe and what is not.
Garlic fermented in honey is one of those foods where we don't have data to support the safety of this process. Here are some reasons why we are concerned:
We are always extra concerned when honey is involved because honey commonly has C. botulinum spores in it. C. botulinum spores are also commonly found in soils in the northwest, so crops that have lots of contact with the soil (like garlic) are considered to be higher risk (even though you peel them).
C. botulism cannot grow in high acid environments (cannot grow in foods with a pH below 4.6); however, most fermentations start out at a higher pH and then drop as the lactic acid bacteria (and other "friendly" organisms) produce acid. The pH of garlic is well above 4.6. The pH of honey is very inconsistent (pH 4.0 to great than 6). The key to safe fermentations is for this acid drop to happen quickly (ideally in less than 24 hours).
Low water activity (available water) is another way to prevent C. botulism from growing. Honey has a very low water activity, but garlic has a very high water activity. This creates an interface between the garlic clove and the honey that is a perfect environment for C. botulism to grow.
Based on all of these concerns, I am not comfortable with the safety of garlic fermented in honey.
I hope this helps to answer your questions. Thanks for using Ask Extension. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Joy
